A Charles Dilbeck home at 5106 Milam. (Courtesy of PreservationDallas.org)

Willis Winters first came to know the late architect Charles Dilbeck in 1997, when he was asked to help Preservation Dallas with a Dilbeck home tour.

“Dallas natives know Dilbeck’s houses just from driving around,” says Winters, the director of Dallas’ Park and Recreation Department and an architect himself. “They’re remarkable houses, and even if you don’t know they’re designed by a specific architect, they leave an impression.”

For the initial tour 21 years ago, Winters spent a lot of time driving around trying to document Dilbeck’s houses. In that original tour book, Winters says he “probably overestimated” how many houses Dilbeck had designed, but has since researched the late architect’s work extensively, including helping his family “sort through the drawings in the attics and make sure they are in architectural files.”